Over the weekend, the Penn volleyball team got a reality check at the hands of Yale and Brown and limped home with two disappointing road losses. Eager to prove themselves in the strong Ivy League, the young Quakers lost 3-0 to the Elis and 3-2 to the Bears.
On Friday night, Yale (12-5, 7-1 Ivy) dominated Penn (7-11, 2-5) with strong hitters, and a cohesive and well-executed offensive attack. The Elis, the best team in the league , out-dug the Quakers 78-63, an area in which Penn usually holds the edge.
"They were just really well rounded [and] strong all the way around," coach Kerry Carr said. "We don't have that yet. They were always on the offensive attack from all areas - right front, left front and middle."
Although the Quakers did not win a game, they remained competitive, losing by no more than nine points in any of the games.
"We played hard the entire match," Carr said. "We took them out of what they like to do well, but we just needed to complete the second part of the mission by attacking with our offense.
"We were inconsistent, we made a lot of mistakes, and our inexperience and youth really showed."
Alexis Crusey was spectacular for Yale with 18 kills and a .400 hitting percentage.
On Saturday, the Quakers went to Providence, RI where they suffered a heartbreaking loss.
After winning Game 1, Penn lost the second and third but forced a Game 5 against Brown (8-12, 4-4) with a decisive Game 4 win (30-27).
In only its second five-game situation, however, the youth-filled Quakers team had trouble responding to the pressure.
"I thought we were the better team, but we let them back in it," Carr said. "We tensed up after we made a few mistakes, and we folded at a critical time.
"This is a learning experience, and there haven't been too many five-game situations, and not everybody responded. We collapsed inwardly on ourselves."
Junior Laura Black led the team with 20 kills, and freshman Elizabeth Semmens had 12 kills and 14 digs for her first career double-double. Junior Anna Shlimak also had a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs.
Although Penn is a young team, it has shown glimpses of potential. But to this point, the Quakers' biggest enemies have been themselves as they have been plagued by unforced errors, miscommunications and mental breakdowns.
"We need to get mentally tougher," Carr stated. "And then we can have a chance to show everyone we can still be the best team in the league."
